Israel-Palestine Proximity Talks, Game of Charade

Sen. George Mitchell announced with a flourish the resumption of Israel-Palestine “proximity” talks under the tutelage of the U.S. American Jewish peace groups like Peace Now and J Street have dutifully released statements of support. But alas it’s all a charade. For all the “proximity” the two sides may have they are universes apart on virtually every major issue that divides them. No commentators I have noticed have remarked upon the fact that these talks are in fact a deep regression from previous rounds of talks which, during the Olmert government, were direct and without U.S. mediation. Those talks too were largely ineffectual. But at least the parties had enough trust in each other that they were willing to talk face to face. It is a mark of the mistrust and disdain with which Bibi is suffered by Palestinians that they didn’t even want to shake the guy’s hand, let alone engage in face to face talks.

Just to take one example of bad faith,Bibi Netanyahu had the temerity to reiterate his dead as a doornail demand that the result of final status negotiations must be Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state. Of course he doesn’t expect this to happen. But saying so serves two purposes: it shores up support from his farther right supporters who may criticize the very idea of negotiating with Palestinians; and it poisons the negotiations even before they begin, which is certainly one of Bibi’s goals. Let me be as clear as I can: Israel does not want either negotiations or a settlement of the outstanding issues (except perhaps on its own terms, which will never happen).

No one in the Obama administration can really believe these negotiations can work. Pres. Obama is engaging in this game in a vain attempt to salvage his reputation and previously expressed robust commitment to Israeli-Palestinian peace. That commitment has evaporated in the face of Israeli rightist resolve and the loss of domestic political momentum across the board. We now have a situation little better than Dov Weissglas’ shocking past statement that the Sharon government under Pres. Bush had doused the peace process in formaldehyde.

The Palestinians trumpeted a “guarantee” from the Americans that it would be willing to publicly “blame” the party it deemed recalcitrant if negotiations fail at the end of four months. But I read the form of the guarantee and it meant almost nothing to me. Again, it sounds good if you don’t read too closely or deeply. But in truth, even an American denunciation of Israel (will never happen) wouldn’t have much effect short of an American conviction to act forcefully in pursuit of peace and against the ostensible interests of the party deemed recalcitrant.

Bibi: "I was afraid you'd never come!" (Biderman/Haaretz)

While it’s true that VP Joe Biden arrived in Israel today ostensibly to reinforce the good news of resumption of peace negotiations, more likely his real purpose was to tighten the bear-hug offered to Bibi regarding a possible Israeli military strike against Iran. In the Biderman Haaretz cartoon, you can see the map of Iran’s nuclear sites which Bibi was using to plot his attack, while various U.S. political luminaries tackle him in order to prevent the Israeli strike. Bibi is forced to concede the obvious and feigns a welcome.

The other image featured here is the tarmac welcome of Biden where protocol duties were fulfilled pointedly by one of Israel’s most extreme hawks, Bogie Yaalon, a former army chief of staff. The message seems clear at least from Israel’s side: we’re on war footing with Iran.

The Arab League provided the framework enabling Mahmoud Abbas to enter into this charade by approving a four-month period of negotiation after which the Arab states would refer the matter to the UN Security Council. The League thus hopes to ratchet up pressure on the U.S. and western allies to deal with this problem once the proximity talks are exhausted.

Given the apparent fact that the U.S. has given up on serious engagement in this issue, I’m dubious that even a referral to the Security Council will move things forward. But what IS true is that the only way to resolve this matter is through direct international intervention.

I think this nonsense is the last step in the endless dance, and these shuffling fools will at last realize that they’re not fooling anyone with their silly “proximity talks.” This is merely a formality so that no one needs to be the guilty party throwing in the towel, after which this mess will finally end up before the Security Council, and oh please God, will someone finally intervene???

The only thing that might come out of it is that Netanyahu will be pressured enough to back off from any plans to attack Iran. It’s going to take some serious carrot-and-stick to get his cooperation; we’ve seen that Bibi doesn’t like to be told what to do by the likes of Barack Obama. I’m sure there are some bombs, tanks, anti-aircraft missiles, phosphorus and DIME shells lying around in the US arsenal that Obama can wave under Netanyahu’s nose to dissuade him from attacking Iran. He can remind Bibi of what a fun time it was last year when Israel killed all those Palestinian civilians with US-made weapons.

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March 8, 2010 8:06 PM

Gene Schulman

For goodness’ sake, Mary. What on earth makes you think Obama or any one else in authority in the US even wants to rein in Netanyahu? As I’ve said many times before, their ends, and means, are the same. Palestinians, Iranians, be damned.

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March 9, 2010 12:29 AM

mary

No one wants to rein him in, Gene; I was being facetious. They're all aggressive Zionists, as is ol' Bibi…

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March 11, 2010 10:57 PM

DICKERSON3870

RE: “PALESTINE PROXIMITY TALKS, GAME OF CHARADE” – R.S.

ALSO SEE: Secret Israeli report: U.S. cozying up to Palestinians – Haaretz, 03/07/10
(EXCERPTS) The U.S. administration will not put a lot of effort into the upcoming indirect negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, opting instead to focus on the November Congressional elections, according to an internal Foreign Ministry report that was distributed to Israeli diplomatic missions abroad….
…U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is due to arrive in Israel Monday afternoon. The Obama administration hopes to be in a position to announce the resumption of talks before his arrival so that his visit can concentrate on U.S. relations with Israel and with the PA rather than on bridging the gap between Israel and the Palestinians.
Biden is expected to present the administration’s broad vision of the peace process and to avoid focusing on the details of the conflict…
…According to the report Washington is aware of the domestic political problems faced separately by both Netanyahu and Abbas and has decided to concentrate on achieving the limited goal of restarting the negotiations. The peace talks will not be at the top of the Obama administration’s agenda, the report claims.
“In our assessment the administration will focus in the coming year on domestic issues that are expected to determine the results of the Congressional elections,” the report’s authors wrote. “As such, and due to the difficulties to date in achieving significant gains in the peace process we can assume that the administration’s focus on this issue will be limited and will predominantly remain in the hands of Mitchell’s teams.”
According to the report, Washington can be expected to portray the resumption of the Israeli-Palestinian talks as a domestic and international achievement, in the hope of creating an atmosphere that is conducive to direct negotiations between the parties on the core issues.
The authors of the report also predict that the administration will avoid taking any position that suggests disagreement with Israel, because of the support that Israel enjoys among both parties in Congress.
SOURCE – http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1154530.html

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March 8, 2010 8:24 PM

Kalea

Of course this is true. It saddens me that on ALL sides the hardship Palestinians are experiencing is not what motivates the parties to restart this process. What they all have in common is the need to stage a political play to survive politically, especially Obama and Abbas, while Netanyahu plays their game of peace talks but then approves more illegal settlement activity while he buys more time to expand the state of Israel and make the two-state solution impossible, hence sabotage peace.

Once again, Palestinians are merely a political football in a game where everyone wins something except them.

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March 8, 2010 10:06 PM

Shirin

None of them gives a damn about the Palestinians. None of them ever has.

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March 8, 2010 10:47 PM

Richard Witty

I think its better that the effort is made, at least to partially contain Netanyahu, if that is what is occurring. Its hard to tell which would be worse.

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March 8, 2010 8:43 PM

Shirin

Richard Witty, I would agree with you, but I really think it is all theatre and not a bit of reality. But maybe you are right and at least there will be some genuine effort to rein in Netanyahu. I hope you are right in this.

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March 8, 2010 10:49 PM

kalea

Why doesn't Biden bow while he shakes Netanyahu's hand? Why not fully act out the part? After all, this visit is nothing more than a sham formality, a show, a charade and let’s makes an effort at make-believe peace for political interest. May as well depict the truth in gestures as well as words. Netanyahu is shaking hands with one hand while he signs onto 1600 more illegal homes on the West Bank with the hand behind his back.

The U.S. is enabling a crime against humanity and war crimes. Evicting people and transferring people out of occupied land and building and transferring foreign settlers onto that land is a war crime and an act prohibited in the Geneva Convention. Meanwhile, the collective punishment of people in Gaza is a crime against humanity.

Building a wall on occupied land is illegal and the military oppression of people under occupation is also illegal.

Why is Biden shaking the hand of someone who is approving illegal activity with the other hand?

This is an unethical, unholy, immoral alliance and it can’t be described any other way.

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March 9, 2010 7:02 PM

Michael Drew

We created a monster, and armed it.

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March 11, 2010 9:27 AM

Mark Bernadiner

Two-state solution was implemented in 1922 when british administration of occupied Israel allocated more than half Israel territory to palestinian muslims and created Transjordan (now Jordan). Therefore, all so called "palestinians" must be relocated there in compliance with the 1920 UN Resolution. Enough stealing Israel land. Britain and Jordan must compensate Israel for stolen land and natural resources.
Ref: Jewish legal rights to Judea and Samaria
By prominent International Law specialist Ted Belman | 12/08/09 | 06:19 AM EDT |http://www.redcounty.com/jewish-legal-rights-jude…

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